JP7017508B2 - Electronic component supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic component supply device including a plurality of feeders, and more particularly to a configuration for updating operating software of each feeder.

Facilities for producing boards on which a large number of electronic components are mounted include solder printing machines, electronic component mounting machines, reflow machines, and board inspection machines. It is common to connect these board production facilities to form a board production line. Among these, the electronic component mounting machine includes a substrate transfer device, an electronic component supply device, a component transfer device, and a control device. As an electronic component supply device, a configuration in which a plurality of feeders are interchangeably provided is often used. The feeder has a tape feeding mechanism for feeding carrier tapes holding a plurality of electronic components, and an individual control unit that operates with operating software to control the tape feeding mechanism.

The operation software is installed in the individual control unit when the feeder is produced, and there are multiple types that differ depending on the specifications and production time of each feeder model. In addition, the operation software can be updated in whole or in part in response to technological improvements even after the feeder has started to be used. The update software, which is replaced with at least a part of the operation software, is transmitted by communication from, for example, a higher control unit. Patent Document 1 discloses a technical example relating to updating software for operating an electronic component supply device and a feeder of this type.

The electronic component mounting machine of Patent Document 1 includes a head unit that collects electronic components from a plurality of feeders that operate based on a control program and mounts them on a substrate, and the individual update programs for updating the control program match each other. The common program part is included, and this common program part can be transmitted to a plurality of feeders in parallel. According to this, the communication time can be shortened by the amount that the common program part can be sent to multiple feeders in parallel, as compared with the case where all the updates are sent individually to each feeder in order. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-182768

By the way, in the technical example of Patent Document 1, the unique portion excluding the common program portion of each update program is still transmitted to each feeder in order. Therefore, the effect of shortening the communication time is limited, and the update time required for updating the programs of a plurality of feeders is not significantly shortened.

In addition, in a configuration in which operation software is transmitted from the host control unit to each feeder by communication, a slow communication speed is used even with the new feeder in order to ensure consistency and compatibility with the old feeders produced in the past. There is a need. On the other hand, the processing speeds of the upper control unit and the individual control unit are advancing day by day, surpassing the slow communication speed. As a result, the time loss in which the upper control unit and the individual control unit wait for the end of communication becomes remarkable, and the operation of the electronic component mounting machine is interrupted during the update time in which the long communication time for each feeder is added.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the background technology, and provides an electronic component supply device capable of significantly shortening the update time required for replacing the operation software of a plurality of feeders with the update software. It is an issue to be solved.

The electronic component supply device of the present invention that solves the above problems has a tape feeding mechanism that feeds carrier tapes holding a plurality of electronic components, and an individual control unit that operates with operating software to control the tape feeding mechanism. Then, a plurality of feeders that sequentially supply the electronic components to each supply position, an upper control unit capable of holding update software that can be replaced with at least a part of the operation software, and a plurality of upper control units. A plurality of information transmission units, which are connected to the individual control unit of the feeder so as to be able to transmit information and transmit the update software from the higher-level control unit to the individual control unit independently of each other, are provided. Each of the plurality of information transmission units is connected to the higher-level control unit via a bus to write the update software, and is connected to the memory and is connected to the individual control unit to write to the memory. It has a communication function circuit that reads out the updated software and transmits it to the individual control unit, and the memory has a communication start flag indicating that the update software has been written, and the individual control unit. It is possible to write a communication completion flag indicating that at least a part of the operation software has been updated to the update software, and the upper control unit may use the update software and the update software in the memory via the bus. The communication start flag is written and the activation of the communication function circuit is controlled. Further, the communication completion flag in the memory is confirmed, and the communication function circuit is activated by the control from the upper control unit and the memory. After reading the communication start flag in, the update software is transmitted to the individual control unit.

Since the electronic component supply device of the present invention includes a plurality of information transmission units capable of independently transmitting each other between the upper control unit and the individual control units of the plurality of feeders, the electronic component supply device is provided with a plurality of information transmission units that can transmit independently of each other. And can transmit update software. Therefore, the update time can be significantly shortened by the amount of transmitting the update software in parallel to different feeders as compared with the conventional technique of transmitting the update software to a plurality of feeders in order.

It is a top view schematically showing the whole structure of the electronic component mounting machine on which the electronic component supply device of the first embodiment is mounted. It is a side view schematically showing the configuration example of the feeder which is replaceably equipped in the electronic component supply device. It is a functional block diagram of the part which transmits the update software of an electronic component supply device. It is a figure of the time chart which shows the operation of the electronic component supply apparatus schematically. It is a functional block diagram of the part which transmits the update software of the electronic component supply device of the comparative example. It is a functional block diagram of the part which transmits the update software of the electronic component supply apparatus of 2nd Embodiment.

(1. Overall configuration of electronic component mounting machine 1)
The electronic component supply device 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. First, the overall configuration of the electronic component mounting machine 1 on which the electronic component supply device 3 is mounted will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the overall configuration of the electronic component mounting machine 1 on which the electronic component supply device 3 of the first embodiment is mounted. The direction from the left side to the right side of FIG. 1 is the X direction for loading and unloading the substrate K, and the vertical direction of the paper surface is the Y direction. As shown in the figure, the electronic component mounting machine 1 includes a substrate transfer device 2, an electronic component supply device 3, a component transfer device 4, a control device 7 (shown in FIG. 3), and the like.

The substrate transfer device 2 is arranged on the upper surface of the machine base 9, conveys the substrate K in the X direction, and positions the substrate K at the mounting implementation position. The substrate transfer device 2 includes a pair of guide rails 21, a pair of conveyor belts 22, a clamp device 23, and the like. The pair of guide rails 21 extend in the X direction and are arranged parallel to each other. The pair of conveyor belts 22 have an annular shape on which the substrate K can be placed, and are provided so as to be rotatable inside the guide rails 21 facing each other. The clamp device 23 is arranged below the mounting implementation position set around the center in the X direction between the pair of guide rails 21. The substrate K is carried in and out by the conveyor belt 22 while being guided by the guide rail 21, and is positioned and fixed at the mounting implementation position by the clamp device 23.

The electronic component supply device 3 is configured with a substantially rectangular pallet member 31 as a main member. On the upper surface of the pallet member 31, a plurality of slots 32 extending in the Y direction and arranged in the X direction are formed. The electronic component supply device 3 is provided with a plurality of feeders 6 interchangeably in the plurality of slots 32. The electronic component supply device 3 has an upper control unit 51 for controlling the equipped feeder 6 inside the pallet member 31 (shown in FIG. 3).

The feeder 6 holds the reel R interchangeably on the rear side and has a component supply position 67 on the upper front side. In the example of FIG. 1, 16 sets of slots 32 are provided in the pallet member 31. A feeder 6 is provided in each of the slots 32 at 6 locations in total, 2 locations near the right end and 4 locations near the left end of the pallet member 31. In many cases, the pallet member 31 of the electronic component supply device 3 is provided with a larger number of slots 32.

The component transfer device 4 includes a pair of fixed rails 41, a head moving rail 42, a mounting head 43, a suction nozzle 44, a substrate recognition camera 45, and the like. The pair of fixed rails 41 extend above the substrate transfer device 2 in the Y direction and are arranged in parallel with each other. The head moving rail 42 extends in the X direction, and both ends thereof are movably supported by the fixed rail 41. The head moving rail 42 is driven in the Y direction by the ball screw feeding mechanism (not shown). The mounting head 43 is movably supported by the head moving rail 42. The mounting head 43 is driven in the X direction by the ball screw feeding mechanism (not shown). The mounting head 43 has a suction nozzle 44 and a substrate recognition camera 45 facing downward. The suction nozzle 44 sucks and collects electronic components from the feeder 6 and mounts them on the positioned substrate K. The board recognition camera 45 recognizes the accurate coordinate position of the positioned board K.

A component recognition camera 95 is arranged between the substrate transfer device 2 and the electronic component supply device 3. The component recognition camera 95 captures and recognizes the suction state of the electronic component collected by the suction nozzle 44 from below. The control device 7 cooperatively controls the board transfer device 2, the electronic component supply device 3, and the component transfer device 4, and smoothly operates the electronic component mounting machine 1.

(2. Configuration of the electronic component supply device 3 and the feeder 6 of the first embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing a configuration example of a feeder 6 interchangeably equipped in the electronic component supply device 3. The feeder 6 is configured by attaching a reel holding shaft 61, a tape guide member 62, a sprocket 63, a drive motor 64, an individual control unit 65, an operation panel 66, a tape detection sensor 68, and the like to a side plate 69. The reel holding shaft 61 is provided below the rear side of the side plate 69. The reel holding shaft 61 replaceably holds the reel R around which the carrier tape T for holding the electronic component is wound.

The tape guide member 62 extends forward and upward from the front side of the held reel R, and extends horizontally forward after reaching the upper edge of 69 of the side plate. The tape guide member 62 guides the carrier tape T unwound from the reel R to the component supply position 67 on the front upper side. A sprocket 63 is bearing under the front side of the tape guide member 62. The teeth on the outer periphery of the sprocket 63 are engaged in the sprocket holes of the carrier tape T. The drive motor 64 can rotationally drive the sprocket 63 in both the forward rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction. The drive motor 64 is controlled by the individual control unit 65. The sprocket 63 and the drive motor 64 constitute a tape feeding mechanism.

The operation panel 66 is provided on the upper surface near the rear of the side plate 69. The operation panel 66 has a pay-out switch 661 and a rewind switch 662. The pay-out switch 661 and the rewind switch 662 are manual switches operated by an operator, and the operation status thereof is transmitted to the individual control unit 65. When the pay-out switch 661 or the rewind switch 662 is pressed, the individual control unit 65 intermittently drives the drive motor 64 and the sprocket 63 in the forward rotation drive or the reverse rotation drive. As a result, the carrier tape T is unwound little by little or rewound little by little. The tape detection sensor 68 is arranged at an inclined portion toward the rear side of the tape guide member 62. The tape detection sensor 68 detects the presence or absence of the carrier tape T to be unwound, and sends the detection result to the individual control unit 65.

The individual control unit 65 is a computer control device having a CPU. The individual control unit 65 is communication-connected to the upper control unit 51 via a connector 651 provided on the front surface (details will be described later). The individual control unit 65 stores the ID code for identifying the individual of the feeder 6 and the information of the model of the feeder 6 in the internal memory. When the feeder 6 is installed in the slot 32, the ID code and the model information are transmitted from the individual control unit 65 to the upper control unit 51.

Further, the individual control unit 65 stores the operation software 655 in the internal memory. The operation software 655 includes, for example, an operation program and constant data. Specifically, the operation software 655 describes the control processing content for controlling the drive motor 64 based on the command from the host control unit 51 while considering the operation status of the operation panel 66 and the detection result of the tape detection sensor 68. are doing.

At least a part of the operation software 655 can be replaced with the update software in response to the technical improvement and the performance improvement of the feeder 6. The replacement with the update software is usually performed between the operations of the electronic component mounting machine 1. Examples of technical improvement and performance improvement include improvement of the feeding performance of the carrier tape T, improvement of the position accuracy of the electronic component at the component supply position 67, and improvement of the responsiveness when the operation panel 66 is operated.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a portion for transmitting update software of the electronic component supply device 3. In FIGS. 3 to 5, the feeder 6 is simplified into three units, a first feeder 601 and a second feeder 602, and a third feeder 603. As shown in FIG. 3, an upper control unit 51, a first information transmission unit 521, a second information transmission unit 522, and a third information transmission unit 523 are arranged inside the pallet member 31. The upper control unit 51 receives and stores a command from the control device 7. One type of directive is a software update directive. The software update command includes the ID code of the feeder 6 to be updated and the information of the model in addition to the data of the software for update.

The three information transmission units 521, 522, and 523 have the same configuration, and are provided on the feeders 601, 602, and 603 on a one-to-one basis. The first information transmission unit 521 has a first memory 531 and a first communication function circuit 541. Similarly, the second information transmission unit 522 has a second memory 532 and a second communication function circuit 542, and the third information transmission unit 523 has a third memory 533 and a third communication function circuit 543. The three information transmission units 521, 522, and 523 operate independently of each other.

The memories 531, 532, and 533 are connected to the upper control unit 51 via the bus 55. As the bus 55, an address bus and a 16-bit parallel data bus can be exemplified, and the bus 55 is not limited thereto. The host control unit 51 has a function of writing data such as various commands and update software to the memories 531, 532, and 533 via the bus 55. Further, the upper control unit 51 has a function of reading data from the memories 531, 532, and 533 via the bus 55.

The three communication function circuits 541, 542, 543 are connected to the memory 531, 532, 533. The communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 have a function of reading data from the memories 531, 532, and 533, and can read data in, for example, 16-bit parallel. Further, the communication function circuits 541, 542, 543 have a function of writing data to the memories 531, 532, 533.

Further, the first communication function circuit 541 is communicated and connected to the individual control unit 65 via the connector 651 of the equipped first feeder 601. Similarly, the second communication function circuit 542 is communicatively connected to the individual control unit 65 via the connector 651 of the equipped second feeder 602, and the third communication function circuit 543 is the equipped third feeder 603. Communication is connected to the individual control unit 65 via the connector 651. The communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 have a function of performing parallel-serial conversion on the update software read from the memories 531, 532, and 533, and transmitting the update software to the individual control unit 65 in a serial manner. Further, the communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 have a function of receiving a response from the individual control unit 65.

(3. Operation and operation of the electronic component supply device 3 of the first embodiment)
The description of the operation of the electronic component supply device 3 of the first embodiment will be given. FIG. 4 is a diagram of a time chart schematically showing the operation of the electronic component supply device 3. In FIG. 4, in order from the left side to the right side, the upper control unit 51, the first memory 531 and the first communication function circuit 541, the second memory 532 and the second communication function circuit 542, the third memory 533 and the third communication function circuit 543 are lined up. Also, the time elapses from the top to the bottom of FIG. 4, but the time scale is not exact.

In step S01 of FIG. 4, the host control unit 51 receives a software update command from the control device 7. As a result, the upper control unit 51 starts the update control of the operation software 655 of the feeder 6. In step S02, the upper control unit 51 confirms the content of the update command. First, the host control unit 51 compares the data length of the update software SW1 for the first feeder 601 with the memory capacity of the first memory 531. Similarly, the host control unit 51 compares the data length of the update software SW2 for the second feeder 602 with the memory capacity of the second memory 532, and sets the data length of the update software SW3 for the third feeder 603 to the third. Compare with the memory capacity of memory 533. When the data length is smaller than the memory capacity, the host control unit 51 determines to transmit the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 at one time. On the contrary, when the data length is larger than the memory capacity, the upper control unit 51 divides the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 into a plurality of packets, and determines that the packets are divided into a plurality of times and transmitted. ..

The upper control unit 51 further confirms the feeder 6 to be updated. In the example of FIG. 4, the update target is three units, the first feeder 601 and the second feeder 602, and the third feeder 603. Therefore, the host control unit 51 writes the update software SW1 to the first memory 531, then writes the update software SW2 to the second memory 532, and finally writes the update software SW3 to the third memory 533. As a result, the three communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 can operate in parallel in time. The three update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 may be the same or different from each other. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail.

In step S03, the host control unit 51 writes the update software SW1 for the first feeder 601 to the first memory 531. When the update software SW1 is divided into a plurality of packets, the host control unit 51 writes the first packet of the update software SW1 for the first feeder 601 to the first memory 531. The writing time Tm1 is short because the writing is performed via the bus 55. In step S04 after the writing is completed, the upper control unit 51 writes the communication start flag F1S to the first memory 531. The communication start flag F1S is a flag that instructs the first communication function circuit 541 to start transmission.

On the other hand, the first communication function circuit 541 is activated in step S11 under the control of the upper control unit 51. In step S12, the first communication function circuit 541 reads the communication start flag F1S of the first memory 531. In step S13 after reading, the first communication function circuit 541 transmits the update software SW1 or the first packet thereof to the individual control unit 65 of the first feeder 601. Since the transmission time Ts1 is a serial communication, it is longer than the write time Tm1. The first communication function circuit 541 waits for a response from the first feeder 601 after the transmission is completed.

The individual control unit 65 of the first feeder 601 replaces the received update software SW1 or the first packet thereof with at least a part of the operation software 655 to update. When the update is completed, the individual control unit 65 of the first feeder 601 transmits the response of the update end to the first communication function circuit 541. When the first communication function circuit 541 receives the update completion response in step S14, the communication completion flag F1E is written to the first memory 531 in the next step S15. In a subsequent step S16, the first communication function circuit 541 is stopped.

In step S05 after the end of step S04, the host control unit 51 writes the update software SW2 for the second feeder 602 or the first packet thereof to the second memory 532 with a write time Tm2. In step S06 after the writing is completed, the upper control unit 51 writes the communication start flag F2S to the second memory 532. The communication start flag F2S is a flag that instructs the second communication function circuit 542 to start transmission.

On the other hand, the second communication function circuit 542 is activated in step S21 under the control of the upper control unit 51. In step S22, the second communication function circuit 542 reads the communication start flag F2S of the second memory 532. In step S23 after reading, the second communication function circuit 542 transmits the update software SW2 or the first packet thereof to the individual control unit 65 of the second feeder 602. Since the transmission time Ts2 is a serial communication, it is longer than the write time Tm2. The second communication function circuit 542 waits for a response from the second feeder 602 after the transmission is completed.

Here, the transmission start of the second communication function circuit 542 is delayed from the transmission start of the first communication function circuit 541. Nevertheless, most of the transmission time Ts2 of the second communication function circuit 542 overlaps with the transmission time Ts1 of the first communication function circuit 541.

The individual control unit 65 of the second feeder 602 replaces the received update software SW2 or the first packet thereof with at least a part of the operation software 655 to update. When the update is completed, the individual control unit 65 of the second feeder 602 transmits the response of the update end to the second communication function circuit 542. When the second communication function circuit 542 receives the update end response in step S24, the second communication function circuit 542 writes the communication completion flag F2E to the second memory 532 in the next step S25. In a subsequent step S26, the second communication function circuit 542 is stopped.

In step S07 after the end of step S06, the host control unit 51 writes the update software SW3 for the third feeder 603 or the first packet thereof to the third memory 533 with a write time Tm3. In step S08 after the writing is completed, the upper control unit 51 writes the communication start flag F3S to the third memory 533. The communication start flag F3S is a flag that instructs the third communication function circuit 543 to start transmission.

On the other hand, the third communication function circuit 543 is activated in step S31 by the control from the upper control unit 51. In step S32, the third communication function circuit 543 reads the communication start flag F3S of the third memory 533. In step S33 after reading, the third communication function circuit 543 transmits the update software SW3 or the first packet thereof to the individual control unit 65 of the third feeder 603. Since the transmission time Ts3 is a serial communication, the writing time Ts3 is longer than the writing time Tm3. The third communication function circuit 543 waits for a response from the third feeder 603 after the transmission is completed.

Here, the transmission start of the third communication function circuit 543 is delayed from the transmission start of the second communication function circuit 542. Nevertheless, most of the transmission time Ts3 of the third communication function circuit 543 overlaps with the transmission time Ts1 of the first communication function circuit 541 and the transmission time Ts2 of the second communication function circuit 542. That is, the three communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 can transmit in parallel in time.

The individual control unit 65 of the third feeder 603 replaces the received update software SW3 or the first packet thereof with at least a part of the operation software 655 to update. When the update is completed, the individual control unit 65 of the third feeder 603 transmits the response of the update end to the third communication function circuit 543. When the third communication function circuit 543 receives the update completion response in step S34, the third communication function circuit 543 writes the communication completion flag F3E to the third memory 533 in the next step S35. In a subsequent step S36, the third communication function circuit 543 is stopped.

After the end of step S08, the host control unit 51 sequentially reads out the contents of the memories 531, 532, and 533, and confirms the presence or absence of the communication completion flags F1E, F2E, and F3E. In step S09, the upper control unit 51 confirms the communication completion flag F1E of the first memory 531. As a result, the upper control unit 51 recognizes that the transmission to the first feeder 601 has been completed normally. Similarly, in step S0A, the upper control unit 51 confirms the communication completion flag F2E of the second memory 532 and recognizes that the transmission to the second feeder 602 is normally completed. Similarly, in step S0B, the upper control unit 51 confirms the communication completion flag F3E of the third memory 533 and recognizes that the transmission to the third feeder 603 has been completed normally.

When the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 are transmitted at one time, the update of the operation software 655 of the three feeders 601, 602, and 603 is completed when step S0B is completed. Therefore, in step S0C, the upper control unit 51 responds to the control device 7 with the completion of updating to the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3.

Further, when the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 are transmitted in a plurality of times, after the step S0B is completed, the upper control unit 51 repeats the second and subsequent steps S03 to S0B to obtain the second packet. The following are written to the memory 531, 532, and 533 in order. Correspondingly, the three communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 also repeat the transmission. The number of repetitions corresponds to the number of packets obtained by dividing the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3. When the step S0B having a predetermined number of repetitions is completed, the update of the operation software 655 of the three feeders 601, 602, and 603 is completed. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S0C, and the upper control unit 51 responds to the control device 7 that the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 have been updated.

Next, the operation of the electronic component supply device 3 of the first embodiment will be described in comparison with the electronic component supply device of the comparative example. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a portion for transmitting update software of the electronic component supply device 3X of the comparative example. In the comparative example, the upper control unit 51, the single information transmission unit 58, and the selector 59 are arranged inside the pallet member 31. The single information transmission unit 58 transmits the update software received from the higher control unit 51 to the selector 59. The selector 59 sequentially switches the individual control units 65 of the feeders 601, 602, and 603 to be transmitted in response to a command from the upper control unit 51. Also in the comparative example, the information transmission unit 58 performs transmission by serial communication.

Therefore, in the comparative example, the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 are transmitted to the three feeders 601, 602, and 603 in order. Therefore, the update time required for updating the operation software 655 of the three feeders 601, 602, and 603 is longer than the time obtained by adding the three transmission times that are not in parallel in time. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the three communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 transmit in parallel in time so that most of the transmission times Ts1, Ts2, and Ts3 overlap each other. As a result, the update time is shortened to about 35 to 40% of the comparative example.

According to a detailed estimation, the writing times Tm1, Tm2, and Tm3 are about three orders of magnitude smaller than the transmission times Ts1, Ts2, and Ts3. Therefore, even in a configuration in which there are dozens of feeders 6 equipped and dozens of sets of memory and communication function circuits, the host control unit 51 has several tens of transmission times in a shorter time than Ts1, Ts2, and Ts3. The update software can be written to the memory in order. As a result, dozens of communication function circuits can transmit in parallel in time, and the update time is greatly reduced.

The host control unit 51 can hold a plurality of types of update software that are different from each other corresponding to a plurality of models of the plurality of feeders 6 that are interchangeably equipped. Then, when the feeder 6 of a certain model is installed in the slot 32, the upper control unit 51 can acquire the ID code of the feeder 6 and the information of the model and determine whether or not the feeder 6 is to be updated. .. When the update target is set, the upper control unit 51 transmits the update software required for the feeder 6 via the information transmission unit connected to the feeder 6. Therefore, the number of feeders 6 to be updated corresponds to the number of slots 32 at the maximum, and is one at the minimum. When there is only one feeder 6 to be updated, the effect of shortening the update time does not occur as compared with the comparative example.

(4. Aspects and effects of the electronic component supply device 3 of the first embodiment)
The electronic component supply device 3 of the first embodiment operates with a tape feeding mechanism (sprocket 63, drive motor 64) for feeding carrier tape T holding a plurality of electronic components, and operating software 655 to control the tape feeding mechanism. A plurality of feeders 601, 602, 603 that sequentially have individual control units 65 to sequentially supply electronic components to the respective component supply positions 67, and update software SW1 that is replaced with at least a part of the operation software 655. Information can be transmitted between the upper control unit 51 capable of holding SW2 and SW3, the upper control unit 51, and the individual control units 65 of the plurality of feeders 601, 602, and 603, and the upper control units are independent of each other. The individual control unit 65 is provided with a plurality of information transmission units 521, 522, and 523 for transmitting the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 from the 51.

According to this, the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 can be transmitted to different feeders 601, 602, and 603 in parallel in time. Therefore, as compared with the comparative example in which the update software is transmitted to the plurality of feeders 601, 602, and 603 in order, the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 are transmitted in parallel to the different feeders 601, 602, and 603. The update time can be significantly reduced.

Further, in each of the plurality of information transmission units 521, 522, and 523, the upper control unit 51 writes the update software SW1, 532, and SW3 via the bus 55 to the memory 531, 532, 533, and the memory 531, 532, 533. It has communication function circuits 541, 542, 543 that transmit the update software SW1, SW2, SW3 written in the above to the individual control unit 65.

According to this, since the write time Tm1, Tm2, Tm3 in which the upper control unit 51 writes the update software SW1, SW2, SW3 in order to the memory 531, 532, 533 can be shortened, the transmission time Ts1, Ts2, Ts3 Most of them overlap, and the effect of shortening the update time becomes remarkable. This effect also occurs when updating the operation software 655 of dozens of feeders 6.

Further, the communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 of the plurality of information transmission units 521, 522, and 523 start transmission when the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 are written in the memories 531, 532, and 533, respectively. According to this, since the communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 do not generate unnecessary standby time, the update time is not unnecessarily prolonged.

Further, the information transmission units 521, 522, and 523 are provided on the plurality of feeders 601, 602, and 603 on a one-to-one basis. According to this, it is not necessary to sequentially transmit the update software to the plurality of feeders 601, 602, and 603 as in the comparative example, and the update time can be surely shortened.

Further, the host control unit 51 can hold a plurality of types of update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 that are different from each other corresponding to a plurality of models of a plurality of feeders 6 that are interchangeably equipped, and among the plurality of feeders 6. When the feeder 6 of the first model is equipped, the information transmission unit connected to the feeder 6 of the first model among the plurality of information transmission units 521, 522, 523 is the first model of the plurality of types of update software. The update software corresponding to the feeder of is transmitted. According to this, the operation software 655 can be reliably updated even for the feeder 6 that has been temporarily removed, and the update is not forgotten.

Further, the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3 can be transmitted in a plurality of times in units of packets divided into a plurality of times. According to this, even if there is a difference in data length between the update software SW1, SW2, and SW3, the operation software 655 can be reliably updated.

(5. Electronic component supply device 3A of the second embodiment)
Next, the electronic component supply device 3A of the second embodiment will be mainly described as being different from the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the update time can be surely shortened significantly, but if the number of slots 32 is large, the circuit scale of the information transmission unit becomes large and the cost increases. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the circuit scale is reduced by using the first selector 561, the second selector 562, and the third selector 563. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a portion for transmitting update software of the electronic component supply device 3A of the second embodiment. In FIG. 6, the feeder 6 is simplified into six units: a first feeder 601 and a second feeder 602, a third feeder 603, a fourth feeder 604, a fifth feeder 605, and a sixth feeder 606.

As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 6 and 3, in the second embodiment, the input side of the first selector 561 is connected to the transmission output side of the first communication function circuit 541. Similarly, the input side of the second selector 562 is connected to the transmission output side of the second communication function circuit 542, and the input side of the third selector 563 is connected to the transmission output side of the third communication function circuit 543. In the second embodiment, the functions other than the selectors 561, 562, and 563 are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The first selector 561 selects and operates one of the first feeder 601 and the fourth feeder 604. Similarly, the second selector 562 selects and operates one of the second feeder 602 and the fifth feeder 605, and the third selector 563 selects and operates one of the third feeder 603 and the sixth feeder 606. The three selectors 561, 562, and 563 perform selection operations according to the settings from the host control unit 51. The selectors 561, 562, and 563 may be used to select and operate any of three or more feeders 6.

The description of the operation of the electronic component supply device 3A of the second embodiment will be given. Hereinafter, a case where the update software is transmitted at one time will be described by using six feeders 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, and 606 as update targets. The upper control unit 51 receives a software update command from the control device 7, and starts update control of the operation software 655 of the feeder 6. First, the host control unit 51 confirms that the data length of the update software is smaller than the memory capacity and can be transmitted at one time, and that the update targets are the six feeders 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, and 606. do.

Next, the upper control unit 51 sets the first selector 561 so as to select and operate the first feeder 601 and writes the update software for the first feeder 601 and the communication start flag in the first memory 531. Then, the first communication function circuit 541 reads the communication start flag, further reads the update software for the first feeder 601 and transmits it to the first selector 561. As a result, the update software for the first feeder 601 is correctly transmitted to the individual control unit 65 of the first feeder 601 via the first selector 561.

Next, similarly, the upper control unit 51 sets the second selector 562 so as to select and operate the second feeder 602, and sets the update software for the second feeder 602 and the communication start flag in the second memory 532. Write. Then, the second communication function circuit 542 reads the communication start flag, further reads the update software for the second feeder 602, and transmits the update software to the second selector 562. As a result, the update software for the second feeder 602 is correctly transmitted to the individual control unit 65 of the second feeder 602 via the second selector 562.

Similarly, the upper control unit 51 sets the third selector 563 so as to select and operate the third feeder 603, and writes the update software for the third feeder 603 and the communication start flag to the third memory 533. .. Then, the third communication function circuit 543 reads the communication start flag, further reads the update software for the third feeder 603, and transmits the update software to the third selector 563. As a result, the update software for the third feeder 603 is correctly transmitted to the individual control unit 65 of the third feeder 603 via the third selector 563.

By these transmissions, each individual control unit 65 of the first feeder 601 and the second feeder 602 and the third feeder 603 replaces the received update software with at least a part of the operation software 655 and updates the software. When the update is completed, each individual control unit 65 transmits the response of the update end to the communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543. Upon receiving the update end response, the communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 write the communication completion flag to the memory 531, 532, and 533, respectively.

Next, the upper control unit 51 sequentially reads the contents of the memories 531, 532, and 533, and confirms the presence or absence of the communication completion flag. When the upper control unit 51 confirms the communication completion flag of the first memory 531, the first selector 561 is set so as to select and operate the fourth feeder 604, and the first memory 531 is used for the fourth feeder 604. Write update software and communication start flag. Then, the first communication function circuit 541 reads the communication start flag, further reads the update software for the fourth feeder 604, and transmits the update software to the first selector 561. As a result, the update software for the fourth feeder 604 is correctly transmitted to the individual control unit 65 of the fourth feeder 604 via the first selector 561.

Next, similarly, when the upper control unit 51 confirms the communication completion flag of the second memory 532, the second selector 562 is set so as to select and operate the fifth feeder 605, and the second memory 532 is set to the second. 5 Write the update software and communication start flag for the feeder 605. Then, the second communication function circuit 542 reads the communication start flag, further reads the update software for the fifth feeder 605, and transmits the update software to the second selector 562. As a result, the update software for the fifth feeder 605 is correctly transmitted to the individual control unit 65 of the fifth feeder 605 via the second selector 562.

Similarly, when the upper control unit 51 confirms the communication completion flag of the third memory 533, the third selector 563 is set so as to select and operate the sixth feeder 606, and the third memory 533 is set to the sixth. Write the update software and communication start flag for the feeder 606. Then, the third communication function circuit 543 reads the communication start flag, further reads the update software for the sixth feeder 606, and transmits the update software to the third selector 563. As a result, the update software for the sixth feeder 606 is correctly transmitted to the individual control unit 65 of the sixth feeder 606 via the third selector 563.

By these transmissions, each individual control unit 65 of the 4th feeder 604, the 5th feeder 605, and the 6th feeder 606 replaces the received update software with at least a part of the operation software 655 and updates the software. When the update is completed, each individual control unit 65 transmits the response of the update end to the communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543. Upon receiving the update end response, the communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 write the communication completion flag to the memory 531, 532, and 533, respectively.

Next, the upper control unit 51 sequentially reads the contents of the memories 531, 532, and 533, and confirms the presence or absence of the communication completion flag. When the upper control unit 51 confirms the three communication completion flags, it recognizes that the update of the operation software 655 of the six feeders 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, and 606 is completed, and the control device. Reply to 7 that the update is complete.

Here, even if the set time for the upper control unit 51 to set the selectors 561, 562, 563 and the write time for writing the update software and the communication start flag to the memories 531, 532, 533 are added, the communication function circuit 541. It is an order of magnitude smaller than the transmission time of 542 and 543. Therefore, most of the first transmission times of the three communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 overlap each other, and most of the second transmission times also overlap each other. On the other hand, in the comparative example, it is necessary to transmit the update software to the six feeders 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, and 606 in order, which requires six transmission times. Therefore, in the second embodiment, which requires only about two transmission times, the update time is shortened to about 35 to 40% of the comparative example.

The effect of shortening the update time of the operation software 655 depends on the number of feeders 6 in charge of one set of information transmission units and selectors. As an example, it is assumed that there are 65 slots 32. In this case, there is a first configuration example in which 13 sets of information transmission units and selectors are provided and each set is in charge of 5 feeders 6, and 5 sets of information transmission units and selectors are provided, and each set has 13 feeders 6. A second configuration example in charge can be considered. The first configuration example and the second configuration example can achieve both the effect of shortening the update time and the effect of reducing the circuit scale. The first configuration example is excellent in terms of the effect of shortening the update time, and the second configuration example is excellent in terms of reducing the circuit scale.

Also in the second embodiment, the number of feeders 6 to be updated is not limited. When a plurality of feeders 6 to be updated are assigned only to a specific selector, the effect of shortening the update time does not occur as compared with the comparative example.

In the electronic component supply device 3A of the second embodiment, the plurality of information transmission units 521, 522, and 523 are smaller than the plurality of feeders 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, and 606, and the plurality of information transmission units 521. At least a part of 522 and 523 have selectors 561, 562, and 563 that switch the individual control unit 65 to be transmitted in response to a command from the upper control unit 51. According to this, it is possible to achieve both the effect of shortening the update time of the operation software 655 and the effect of reducing the scale of the circuit.

(6. Application and modification of the embodiment)
The hardware configuration related to the electrical connection of the memories 531, 532, 533, the software procedure for reading and writing data, the communication specifications of the communication function circuits 541, 542, and 543 can be changed as appropriate. Further, in the second embodiment, the selectors 561, 562, and 563 perform the selection operation according to the setting from the upper control unit 51, but there is another method. For example, the host control unit 51 may be configured to write a select command to the memory 531, 532, 533, and the communication function circuits 541, 542, 543 to read the select command set the selectors 561, 562, 563. The present invention can be applied to various other applications and modifications.

1: Electronic component mounting machine, 3, 3A: Electronic component supply device, 31: Pallet member, 32: Slot, 3X: Electronic component supply device of comparative example, 51: Upper control unit, 521, 522, 523: First, 2nd and 3rd information transmission units, 531 and 532, 533: 1st, 2nd and 3rd memory, 541, 542, 543: 1st, 2nd and 3rd communication function circuits, 55: Bus, 561, 562 , 563: 1st, 2nd, 3rd selector, 6: Feeder, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th feeder, 63: Sprocket, 64: Drive motor, 65: Individual control unit, 655: Operation software, SW1, SW2, SW3: Update software

Claims (8)

It has a tape feeding mechanism that feeds carrier tapes holding a plurality of electronic components, and an individual control unit that operates with operating software to control the tape feeding mechanism, and sequentially supplies the electronic components to their respective supply positions. With multiple feeders to
An upper control unit capable of holding update software that is replaced with at least a part of the operation software,
A plurality of pieces of information that are connected so as to be able to transmit information between the higher-level control unit and the individual control units of the plurality of feeders, and transmit the update software from the higher-level control unit to the individual control unit independently of each other. With a transmission unit,
Each of the plurality of information transmission units
A memory that is connected to the host control unit via a bus and writes the update software,
It has a communication function circuit connected to the memory and connected to the individual control unit to read the update software written in the memory and transmit the update software to the individual control unit.
The memory has a communication start flag indicating that the update software has been written, and a communication completion flag indicating that at least a part of the operation software of the individual control unit has been updated to the update software. Writable and writable
The upper control unit writes the update software and the communication start flag in the memory via the bus, controls the activation of the communication function circuit, and further confirms the communication completion flag in the memory. ,
The communication function circuit is activated by control from the higher-level control unit, reads out the communication start flag in the memory, and then transmits the update software to the individual control unit.
Electronic component supply device. When the communication function circuit receives an update end response indicating that the update software has been updated from the individual control unit, the communication function circuit writes the communication completion flag to the memory.
The upper control unit sequentially reads the contents of the memory and confirms the presence / absence of the communication completion flag.
The electronic component supply device according to claim 1. The upper control unit writes the update software to the memory in a parallel manner via the bus.
The communication function circuit performs parallel-serial conversion on the update software read from the memory in a parallel manner, and transmits the update software to the individual control unit in a serial manner.
The electronic component supply device according to claim 1 or 2. The higher-level control unit sequentially writes the update software to the memory of each of the plurality of information transmission units.
The electronic component supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the communication function circuit of each of the plurality of information transmission units starts transmission when the update software is written in the memory. The electronic component supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of information transmission units are provided on the plurality of feeders on a one-to-one basis. The plurality of information transmission units is smaller than the plurality of feeders, and the number of the information transmission units is smaller than that of the plurality of feeders.
The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least a part of the plurality of information transmission units has a selector for switching the individual control unit to be transmitted in response to a command from the higher-level control unit. Electronic component supply device. The upper control unit can hold a plurality of types of the update software that are different from each other corresponding to a plurality of models of the plurality of feeders that are interchangeably equipped.
When the feeder of the first model among the plurality of feeders is equipped, the first information transmission unit connected to the feeder of the first model among the plurality of information transmission units is used for a plurality of types of the update. The electronic component supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which transmits the first update software corresponding to the feeder of the first model among the software. The electronic component supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the update software is transmitted in a plurality of times in units of packets divided into a plurality of times.

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